Sawbucks or sawhorses have been known for many years for use in sawing firewood and the like, particularly with hand saws.
Chainsaws are now commonly used to cut wood and often firewood is chainsawed where it is found, directly on the ground or very close to it, thus resulting in the danger of the fast-moving saw chain striking the ground immediately after it passes through the log. This can lead to a dangerous kickback of the saw blade or the immediate dulling of the cutting edges due to the abrasive nature of the earth or rocks struck.
Sawbucks have historically taken the form of two spaced apart end supports comprised of legs in the form of an "x" which support the firewood at approximately waist level.
Such sawbucks have been used with chainsaws but they have not proved to be entirely satisfactory. Cutting logs with a chainsaw on the usual sawbuck can be dangerous since the log is usually held at waist height where the operator has less muscle control over the saw and any kick back has a tendency to lift the saw blade dangerously high toward the neck and head. Chainsaw cutting is preferably done below waist level. Further, it is common for an operator to go into the woods to find suitable wood and cut the trees into liftable lengths (usually larger than firebox lengths) for transport out of the woods and subsequent cutting into firebox lengths Previous sawbucks, including folding ones, are large and awkward to transport manually into the woods along with the chainsaw and other associated equipment.
Instead, in order to keep a chainsaw from contacting the ground after felling a tree in the woods, an operator sometimes attempts to prop up at least the end of the log before making a cut. To do this, he may search for another liftable log or failing that, hope to use the first log cut as the prop for subsequent cuts taking a chance that he will not hit the ground on the first cut. This procedure is bothersome and instead, the entire log will often be sawed directly on the ground.
Seldom, if ever, does the operator carry a sawbuck with him because of its size and weight. Even if there is a sawbuck handy, the ground may be sloping so that it is difficult to level the sawbuck for safe use with a chain saw or the sawbuck's size requires that the log must be lifted too high.
To be truly portable, sawbucks should be small, easy to dismantle and assemble and yet, when assembled, be sturdy.
It is also desirable to construct a sawbuck for chainsaws which provides some protective means for the cross brace in the event that, when making a cut between the end supports, the cross brace will not be damaged if the saw blade happens to drop after the cut has been made. At the same time, the sawbuck should be constructed of a material which will not damage the saw blade if contact is accidentally made.
Construction projects and home repairs often involve the sawing of lumber, plywood or various types of pipe with either a chainsaw, a circular saw, or a jigsaw. The lack of a readily available support system for the material to be sawed can lead to inconvenience and/or unsafe procedures, in particular on sloping surfaces such as a roof or hillside.
Accordingly, there is a need for a simply constructed, downsized, cost effective sawbuck which is easily transportable, assembled or disassembled and primarily directed for operation with a chainsaw and having means for protecting the cross brace and minimizing potential damage to the saw chain.